[50] Lightning interrupts power supply for an hour in extended Tripoli
area

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras had a 45-minute meeting here on Tuesday
evening (Greek time) with International Monetary Fund Managing Director
Christine Lagarde, during which discussion focused on the condition
of Greece's economy following the latest inspection in Athens by the
troika representatives.

After the end of the meeting, Samaras told reporters that his discussion
with Lagarde, "went well" and focused on the viability of the Greek debt.

The IMF in an announcement posted on its website said:

"Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary
Fund (IMF), issued the following statement after a meeting with Antonis
Samaras, Prime Minister of Greece, in Washington today:

"Prime Minister Samaras and I had a productive discussion this afternoon
on recent economic developments and challenges facing Greece. I commended
him on the progress that Greece has made under its economic program
towards fiscal sustainability, restoring competitiveness and financial
stability, and stressed the importance of moving forward on institutional
and structural reforms and implementing a robust 2014 budget to achieve
the program's objectives. I assured him that the IMF remains committed
to helping Greece in this endeavor."

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras paid a visit on Monday (local time) to
the school of the St. Demetrius Greek Orthodox community in Astoria,
which has the only Greek-language high school in the United States.

President of the managing committee Nikos Andriotis, in his introduction
of the premier, made reference to the arrests of extreme-right Golden
Dawn (Chryssi Avghi) deputies and party members this past weekend and
said they were "people who preach things that are not Greek." Greece
"deserves better," he said.

Samaras said Greece was at a difficult crossroads, but that it was
entering a new chapter, and said children should be proud of their
roots. He said students and parents should visit or invest in Greece,
noting that "Greeks abroad were always generous and today we have drawn
courage from you; I hope you are always strong."

Also attending the event, which included a performance with Greek songs,
were school principal Anastasios Koularmanis, and student Vassiliki
Tsangari, who welcomed the premier on behalf of the students.

The shutdown of the United States government that started on Tuesday is
likely to have knock-on repercussions on the itinerary of Greek Prime
Minister Antonis Samaras, who is currently on a visit here.

Among others, a reception to be attended by Samaras on Wednesday for
the opening of an exhibition on Byzantium at the Washington National
Gallery of Art will not take place.

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE), in an announcement on Tuesday on
the statements made by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras in New York, said
that "the prime minister's statements on stability are aimed at shaping
a dangereous mixture of fear and false hopes for the people".

"False hopes for 'better days' that the capitalist recovery will
supposedly bring and the advertised primary surplus and a declaration
of law-abidingness by the people for submission to today's barbarism,"
the statement added.

The announcement further said that "the people must not relax. They must
turn their backs on the trade of fear and hope and not be trapped in the
two-party confrontation between the government and the main oppposition
party as to who is the best guarantor of normalcy, that is translated
into who can trap the people better in today's antipopular growth path,"
adding that "stability for the labour-wornking class rights requires a
popular alliance and struggle, in the direction of a rift and reversal
of the system that gives birth to the antipopular measures, barbarism
and Nazism".

Main opposition Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) leader Alexis Tsipras
will pay an official visit to Brusells from Tuesday to Thursday.

On Tuesday, Tsipras will have dinner with the eurodeputies of the group
GUE/NGL (Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left).

On Wednesday morning, Tsipras will meet with the GUE/NGL Group and then
give a joint press conference with its leader, Gabi ZImmer. At 11:30 am
he will meet with the president of Europarliament Socialists and Democrats
(SD) group Hannes Swoboda.

At 3:00 pm, Tsipras will meet in private with Zimmer and at 17:40 pm
he will meet with European Commissioner of Labour and Social Affairs
Laszlo Andor.

Finally, on Thursday Tsipras will conclude his visit to Brussels with
his meeting with Europarliament President Martin Schulz at 3:45 pm.

Addressing a meeting of main opposition Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA)
MPs on Tuesday, SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras strongly criticised the prime
minister and his advisors for "insisting on the dangerous and historically
unfounded theory of the two extremes," and said that the government was
trying to 'dynamite' the political scene by cultivating tensions.

Welcoming the arrest of far-right Golden Dawn's leadership on charges of
forming a criminal organisation, which he said vindicated the anti-fascist
movement and SYRIZA, he claimed the prime minister had been forced into
doing the self-evident under the pressure of public opinion, both at
home and abroad.

"It was not their choice. They were forced to," he asserted of the
government. He also pointed out that, in spite of the new developments
and their isolation even within New Democracy, the 'extremists' in the
prime minister's office were insisting on the 'two extremes' theory,
which he interpreted as an attempt to distract attention from the failure
of austerity policies.

Tsipras underlined that the memorandum was not just unworkable but also
threatening society with collapse, while the much-discussed 'primary
surplus' of 2.5 billion euros had 'evaporated' in just a few days. "What
is coming is social hell," he warned, predicting that more harsh austerity
measures were on the way.

"They are shutting down EAS, EAB, LARCO, lifting restrictions on lay-offs,
there will be a tax on real estate and even agricultural land. In this
light, the government cannot survive the destruction it is causing unless
it invests in a strategy of tension, a strategy of polarity. Such a
strategy, however, is dangerous for democracy and normality," he said.

Government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said on Tuesday that main opposition
Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) leader Alexis Tsipras was "attempting to
present himself as a guarantor of normalcy at a time when he is insisting
on the strategy of division and disaster talk."

"Unfortunately for him and fortunately for the country, he will be
hopelessly alone on this path," Kedikoglou said and stressed that "not
only do the Greeks not share but on the contrary reject in practice his
adventurous and dangerously slippery positions on both the handling of
the neo-Nazis and the effort for the economy's recovery".

Main opposition Radical Coalition of the Left (SYRIZA) leader Alexis
Tsipras presented on Tuesday his party's policy for Greek Police after
his meeting with the Hellenic Federation of Police Staff and the Hellenic
Federation of Police Officers.

Commenting on the latest developments and revelations that police
officers participated in extreme-right Golden Dawn's (Chryssi Avghi)
activities, Tsipras said that society needs a modern and democratic
police that will protect its citizens. That means restructuring,
education and democratisation in police; the latest developments offer
a huge opportunity to proceed towards this direction, he noted.

Moreover, Tsipras reiterated his party's position that police should
come under parliamentary control and underlined that is an issue of
honour for Greek Police to reverse the reputation it has of aiding and
abetting criminals.

Opposition Democratic Left (DIM.AR) Executive Committee member Thodoros
Margaritis on Tuesday said that his party backs the government and, if
necessary, will support the adoption of a legislative act in response
to a mass resignation of ultra-right Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi) MPs,
in protest against the arrest of a number of the party's leadership on
charges of forming a criminal organization.

Speaking to VIMA FM private radio in Athens, he said that his party will
vote in favour of a rider suspending GD's state funding and the salaries
paid to its MPs.

Two members of far-right Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avghi) arrested on charges
of participating in a criminal organisation were released on Tuesday
after testifying before a investigating magistrate.

Both suspects denied the charges against them and were conditionally
released pending trial, on condition they do not attempt to leave the
country. A third party member who was scheduled to testify on Tuesday
asked for an extension until Thursday.

The magistrate is expecting the imminent arrival of four of the party's
MPs - Yiannis Lagos, Ilias Kassidiaris, Ilias Panagiotaros and Nikos Mihos
- who are to testify before him on Tuesday, while party leader Nikos
Michaloliakos has asked to testify before the magistrate on Wednesday
and GD state deputy Christos Pappas on Thursday.

A series of calls was made between far-right Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi)
MPs and the heads of the party's Nikaia branch around the time when the
rapper Pavlos Fyssas was stabbed in the Keratsini district in Piraeus,
according to phone record evidence released by the Greek police on
Tuesday.

Presented as two charts showing the calls made and received by GD deputy
Yiannis Lagos and the head of the party's local Nikaia branch George
Patelis, the 'map' showed that Lagos repeatedly contacted Patelis and
other individuals within the party - including the MP Ilias Panagiotaros.

After the stabbing, he also appears to have received a call from the
party's leader Nikos Michaloliakos.

Prior to the incident, Lagos had received a call from Parliament but
this cannot be shown to be linked to the stabbing that followed.

The 'map' shows that Patelis was at the centre of a succession of calls
carried out prior to the stabbing and also revealed that he called the
wife of the chief suspect Giorgos Roupakias immediately after Fyssas was
killed. He also spoke with Michaloliakos over the phone on the afternoon
of the following day.

Detained Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avghi) deputies can retain their positions
until there is a decision on the charges filed against them, parliament's
vice president and New Democracy deputy Christos Markogiannakis told
private Vima radio on Tuesday.

In order for detained MPs to lose their rights, he explained, "there
must be a ruling of guilt and at the same time a ruling stripping them
of their political rights. The decision must be final, meaning it must
be ratified by the Supreme Court as irreversible. We are talking about
a period of 2 to 3 years." He was referring to the time it was expected
to take for the appeals process to be completed.

According to Markogiannakis, "If there is no verdict of guilt, they will
remain deputies and will have the right to stand for election again,
as long as there is no verdict of guilt and elections take place before
a guilty verdict."

"The only charge on which the investigating magistrate can rule at
this time, in my opinion, is on the charge of membership in a criminal
organisation," the parliamentary vice president said. "It's because this
does not require a revocation by parliament of their immune status as
deputies. Everything else - blackmailing, bearing and possessing arms,
and so on - requires that immunity be lifted by parliament."

The New Democracy (ND) party has striken attorney Pavlos Sarakis off its
membership list for "inappropriate behaviour which conflicts with party
principles", after he assumed the defence of Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avghi)
MP Elias Kassidiaris, it was announced on Tuesday.

Nine members of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and a Piraeus-based
metalworkers' union on Tuesday testified before an examining magistrate
in Piraeus concerning an attack allegedly carried out by some 50 members
of the far-right party Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi) in the Perama district
on September 9. The attack targeted a group of KKE members and trade
unionists putting up posters for KKE's youth festival.

Nine people were injured during the attack, including the head of the
Piraeus metalworkers' union Sotiris Poulikoyiannis and other trade
union officials.

In supplementary testimony to the magistrate, the nine witnesses
claimed that they recognised four of their attackers, one of whom
had been arrested in connection with another case in the past. They
also asserted that the attacking group had deliberately sought out and
targeted the trade union president, attacking the trade unionists with
crowbars and sticks.

The police had initially identified four individuals and, following
the testimony on Tuesday, a public prosecutor is expected to issue the
relevant arrest warrants.

In an announcement concerning the incident, GD had denied involvement in
the attack and alleged that KKE was making false accusations in order
to artificially cultivate tension, in response to the formation of a
worker union in Perama affiliated to GD.

The party had requested to convene at the parliament's senate hall and
according to information the initial request tabled by the party's MP
Dimitris Koukoutsis was to ask permission for an extended meeting in the
specific hall with the participation of off-parliament political cadres
of Golden Dawn.

Parliament accepted to offer the specific hall, however it hasn't answered
yet on whether it will permit the extended meeting.

Parliament President special secretariat office director Spyros Kotsoronis
on Tuesday rejected a written demand made by ultra-right Golden Dawn
(Chryssi Avgi) calling on the Parliament President to ensure that GD
leader Nikos Mihalolikos and MP Christos Pappas, currently in police
custody, will appear before Parliament to address it later in the day.

Kotsoronis responded to GD Parliamentary group secretary Polyvios
Zissimopoulos that there is no procedure allowing the Parliament President
to interfere in the specific issue.

GD leader Michaloliakos and MP Pappas are currently in police custody
with other GD MPs and party members, on charges of forming a criminal
organization.

The Parliament is scheduled to vote later in the day on the
infrastructure, transport & networks ministry-sponsored draft bill on
the intercity bus transport and discuss three defence ministry contracts.

Another police officer was suspended from duty on Tuesday, as part of
an ongoing internal affairs investigation within the police force.

The 25-year-old police constable serving in Attica, among those
assigned as a guard to the far-right Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi) party,
was discovered to illegally possess ammunition of various calibres
in his home during a raid on Sunday. He has been led before an Athens
misdemeanours' court prosecutor and an internal inquiry launched.

Another officer in the Thessaloniki 'Z' emergency response unit, who
is charged with illegal weapons possession and is being investigated
for possibly trading in weapons on the internet, will stand trial on
Wednesday.

The Greek Police Internal Affairs Service has arrested another policeman
who had served in the past as guard of a Golden Dawn party deputy, for
illegal possession of weapons and cartridges, as well as forgery and
violations of the National Customs Code, since he was found in possession
of two cars that had been confiscated as being products of smuggling.

He is a 55-year-old policeman who is currently serving in a police
station in the Attica prefecture, but who was in the guard of Golden
Dawn deputy George Germenis until a short while ago.

It is also considered possible that he used one of the two cars as a
"bogus" patrol car as well. He was also found in possession of Golden
Dawn party material.

[20] Troika insists on full liberalisation of commercial property leases

The country's troika creditors rejected a compromise proposal tabled by
the ministry of development and repeated its position in favour of the
full liberalisation of all commercial property leases, it was announced
on Tuesday.

According to the troika, both old and new commercial leases should be
fully liberalised, based on the argument that the existing protection
is damaging to the real estate market flexibility.

Sources say that the development ministry leadership will continue the
negotiation on the issue insisting that recession is the main reason
behind the large number of vacant stores.

The proposal that was presented by the ministry of development had
suggested that old commercial property leases should be protected
from eviction processes and introduced a three-year protection of new
commercial leases.

Greek National Defence Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos wrapped up his
visit here and departed for Athens on Tuesday afternoon.

Before his departure, Avramopoulos, who represented Greece at events
marking the 53rd anniversary since the declaration of independence by the
Cyprus Republic on October 1, met with Cypriot political party leaders
and representatives, whom he reassured of Greece's steadfast support
for the island republic.

"In this difficult conjuncture Cyprus is not alone," Avramopoulos said,
adding that Greece has one of the strongest defence systems in Europe
and is "always ready to use it in the service of international legality,
international law and the collective effort to shape an environment of
security in our region."

He also noted that Cyprus should become an example of a harmonious
coexistence and cooperation between the two communities on the island,
"always with respect for international law and UN resolutions".

In statements after attending parades on Tuesday for the 53rd anniversary
since Cyprus' declaration of independence, Greek Defence Minister
Dimitris Avramopoulos noted that this was a very difficult time for
Greece and Cyprus, while stressing that "Athens always stands beside
Cypriot Hellenism".

"In a spirit of unity and unanimity we will walk together - as in the
past - and we will prevail," he added.

Avramopoulos noted that Cyprus was proving a factor for stability,
security and peace in the surrounding region and expressed a wish that
current President Nicos Anastasiades "will be the president that next
year celebrations the reunification of the island".

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Tuesday expressed his warmest wishes
for peace, progress and prosperity in Cyprus and for the Cypriot people,
in a message to mark the 53rd anniversary since the declaration of
independence by the Cyprus Republic.

"A solution of the Cyprus issue and the end of Turkish military occupation
have over the years been a major national priority for Greece. We fully
support the Cyprus Republic and firmly support your strenuous efforts for
a solution, which is based on the decisions of the UN Security Council
and is in harmony with the Community acquis," he stressed.

The prime minister also offered assurances that Greece will "always be at
the side of the Cypriot people and its leadership, in our common effort
for a peaceful and united Cyprus".

Boosting growth and employment, deepening economic and monetary union
and European immigration policy will constitute, according to diplomatic
sources, the three main priorities of the upcoming Greek EU Presidency
during the first half of 2014.

As regards cost, the Greek Presidency will be frugal, "Spartan", as
diplomatic sources said characteristically, with a budget not exceeding
50 million euros, compared to 60-80 million euros spent separately for
the EU's last presidencies (the Irish and the Cypriot).

It is the fifth time that Greece is assuming the EU's presidency.

"Greece is assuming the Presidency of the EU's Council in an important
transitional period for Europe," said well-informed sources in Brussels,
stressing that unemployment and recession have shaken the confidence of
European citizens in the European fabric, while strict fiscal discipline
has affected social cohesion considerably in certain member-states.

Promoting policies for strengthening growth and employment constitutes an
issue of primary importance for the Greek Presidency. As Greek diplomatic
sources said, the balance between fiscal stability policies and growth
policies constitutes the lydic stone for achieving necessary cohesion
between the EU's economies.

Consequently, the Greek presidency will aim at balancing the fiscal
restructuring timetable with the implementation of a realistic Pact for
Growth and Employment, that will be able to be turned into a multifaceted
European investment programme, with employment as the focus. In parallel,
the target is for the European Investment Bank to be able to have a strong
role concerning labour intensification projects (such as programmes for
SMEs, basic infrastructures, energy and climate) with the support and
confidence of the European Central Bank.

As regards the deepening of Economic Monetary Union, diplomatic sources
said that special emphasis will be placed on promoting bank union that
constitutes a precondition for strengthening confidence and liquidity
in the European economy.

Regarding immigration issues, the guarding of borders and mobility,
the Greek Presidency aims at promoting the positive consequences of an
overall European managing of the immigration phenomenon in the service
of growth. As diplomatic sources said, efforts will focus on promoting
all the dimensions of immigration policy with prallel actions for the
restirction of repercussions from illegal immigration at economic,
social and political level.

[24] Parliament approves bills on military cooperation with Romania
and Bulgaria

The parliament on Tuesday approved three bills tabled by the Defense
Ministry on military cooperation between Greece and Romania and Bulgaria.

The ultra-right Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avghi) party and the Communist
Party of Greece (KKE) killed all three bills, while main opposition
Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) voted for the one on cooperation with
Romania, rejecting the one on cooperation with Romania. SYRIZA approved
cooperation with Bulgaria on other sectors, such as joint forces to deal
with natural disasters and military medicine, excluding a strengthening
of NATO's role in the region.

Similar objections were expressed by the KKE, which said that an
expansion of military cooperation between Balkan countries was among
NATO's imperialistic planning.

The Golden Dawn said it rejected the bill as it believed that Romania
was "nowadays a US puppy against Russia, while Bulgaria raised certain
territorial claims against Greece".

The nationwide state hospital workers' union federation POEDHN on Tuesday
filed a case before Greece's supreme administrative court, the Council
of State, asking for the cancellation of ministerial decrees leading to
the mergers of Greek hospitals and the suspension of hospital staff.

POEDHN says the decisions are 'shrinking' the public health system and
shutting down eight Attica and Thessaloniki hospitals, while creating new
hospital organisational charts that abolish 770 departments, thousands
of beds and permanent positions at a time when public hospitals are more
greatly needed than ever before and 2.5 million people in Greece lack
any kind of health insurance and have no access to public health services.

Greek unemployment rose to 27.9 pct of the workforce, or 1.4 million
people, in June, from 27.6 pct in May, Eurostat said on Tuesday. The EU
executive's statistics arm, in a report released here, said that Greece
reported the worst performance in the EU, followed by Spain, where the
unemployment rate was 26.2 pct.

The average unemployment rate in the EU was 12 pct in the eurozone and
10.9 pct in the EU in August, unchanged from July.

The unemployment rate among men was 24.9 pct in Greece, 31.9 pct among
women and 61.5 pct among young people aged below 25 years. Average
unemployment in the Eurozone was 11.9 pct (men), 12.3 pct (women) and
23.7 pct (young people).

The European Union had 26.595 million unemployed people in August,
of which 19.178 million in the eurozone, up 895,000 in the last 12 months.

Cyprus (12.2 pct to 16.9 pct) and Greece (24.6 pct to 27.9 pct) recorded
the biggest percentage increases in one year. Greece recorded the highest
unemployment rates both among women and among young people.

[27] Greek employees living in fear of losing their jobs, survey finds

Greek employees are living in constant fear of being dismissed and losing
their jobs, according to an online survey unveiled on Tuesday by the
Greek branch of the human resources firm Adecco HR.

Among the 451 individuals completing the survey, 68 percent said their
working conditions had deteriorated in the last two years, 23 percent
said that they had stayed the same, while only 9 percent reported an
improvement.

Asked to elaborate in what ways their work conditions had deteriorated, 50
percent reported salary cuts, 25 percent said they had to work more hours,
14 percent reported a bad workplace environment due to higher stress
and fear of dismissal, while 13 percent referred to staff shortages.

A high percentage also referred to higher demands and greater pressure
in the workplace (9 percent), a reduction in turnover and profits (9
percent), hard working conditions (8 percent), greater work volume
(7 percent), delays in payment (5 percent) and even working unpaid
(4 percent).

Of the 9 percent that have seen their conditions of work improve, Adecco
analysts note that they do not refer to salary increases or improved
working conditions and surmise they are staff replacing high-earning
executives removed from their positions. This conclusion is also backed
by the finding that 45 percent and 42 percent of those completing the
survey confirmed an increase in their workload and duties at work.

Of those asked, 31 percent said they were already looking for another
job with better conditions and 27 percent that they intend to do so in
the near future.

Adecco Hellas General Director Constantinos Mylonas warned that low
morale among the workforce had an impact on the quality of work.

Roughly 55 percent of the sample were unemployed and, of these, 31 percent
had been laid off by their previous employer, 20 percent had just entered
the workforce and not yet found work, 11 percent were left jobless when
the business or shop where they worked shut down and 5 percent had been
owners of business that folded. Only 5 percent stated that they were
jobless by choice. Nearly a third (31 percent) of those out of work had
been unemployed for more than two years, 19 percent from 7-12 months,
18 percent for two years and 15 percent up to six months.

Greece's economic sentiment index moved up to 93.1 points in September,
from 91.7 points in July and 89.2 in August, the Institute for Economic
and Industrial Research (IOBE) said on Tuesday.

In a monthly report, IOBE said a strong improvement of climate in the
construction and manufacturing sectors was partly counterbalanced by
weakening expectations in the retail sector and consumer confidence,
while the climate in the services sector remained unchanged.

Business expectations seemed to recover because of a slowdown in
recession, with most businesses forecasting that the country was near
its exit from a recession cycle. In the manufacturing sector they showed
a significant improvement in short-term production developments and
expectations over the current level of orders and demand gaining ground.

In the services sector, business expectations over their current activity
fell slightly, counterbalancing a moderate increase in estimates over
current demand, while estimates over short-term sales outlook remained
negative.

In the retail sector, negative estimates over current sales improved
markedly, although estimates over their short-term outlook deteriorated
along with negative estimates over inventories.

In the construction sector, estimates over works programe improved while
employment outlook in the sector fell slightly.

In consumer confidence, Greek households' estimates over their finances
deteriorated slightly, while estimates over the country's finances were
unchanged and saving intention over the next 12 months fell to historic
low levels.

The economic sentiment improved both in the eurozone and the EU in
September, for the fifth consecutive month, with the relative index
rising to 96.9 points and 100.6 points respectively.

[29] Environment Minister Maniatis announces new start for land cadastre

Environment Minister Yiannis Maniatis on Tuesday announced that the
national cadastre, one of the most important national projects in Greece,
is about to get off to a new start. He said that tenders for 28 new
cadastre studies with an estimated budget of 527 million euros will be
announced during the week by Ktimatologio S.A., the company in charge
of organising and running land registry offices throughout the country.

Speaking during a press conference, Maniatis said that the new cadastre
project will concern 16 million property rights, corresponding to 42
pct of the total property rights nationwide and to 62 pct of Greek
national territory.

He also underlined that, as a result, an estimated 12,000 new job
positions for civil engineers, lawyers and computer experts will be
created until the year 2020.

Maniatis said that it is "a major land planning and environmental
protection reform" and stressed the government's determination to have
the project implemented in an organized, speedy and effective manner,
within the timetables set by EU bodies.

The Hellenic Cadastre is a unified and constantly updated system of
information, aimed at a modern, fully automated real estate property
record, whose details are of an evidentiary nature, ensuring the best
publicity and security of transactions.

Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni, who is currently in New York for
a series of meetings, told ANA-MPA that "it is the first time after a
long time that we have seen an increase of the tourist wave from North
America and this is a very optimistic message".

Referring to 2013, Kefalogianni estimated that "it was the year that
the Greek tourism made a huge comeback", adding that "this year we will
break the record of all times, regarding foreign tourists' arrivals as
well as revenues".

Greece's Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) eased to 47.5 points in
September from 48.7 in August, remaining however at the second highest
level recorded in the last 3.5 years.

It is the first time that the PMI fell in a period of six months,
reflecting a stronger deterioration of business conditions in the
country, mainly a decline in new orders. Manufacturers were forced to
reduce their production levels at a slightly faster rate in September,
while employment levels fell at the slowest rate recorded since January
2010. Pending works fell significantly in the month, while purchases
fell further and delivery times deteriorated.

Ellaktor, a Greek-listed construction group, on Tuesday announced the
signing of a contract to build a waste management center in Dolenjska, in
the city of Novo Mesto, Slovenia. The agreement was signed by Elektor SA,
a subsidiary of Ellaktor, in a joint venture with RIKO d.o.o in which
Elektor has a 54.54 pct majority stake.

The contract, worth 26 million euros (pre-VAT) envisages the building
of a unit with a total capacity of 41,000 tons annually. The project is
expected to be completed in 19 months.

[33] Frigoglass to upgrade its production unit in Kato Achaia, Peloponnese

Frigoglass on Tuesday said it will invest around 500,000-800,000 euros
to upgrade the production line of its historic unit in Kato Achaia,
Peloponnese, aiming for the sustainable growth of the unit and job
positions in a period of deep economic recession. Production of
refrigerator parts - currently made in Romania and Turkey - will be
transferred to Greece.

Following completion of the investment, Frigoglass said its production
unit in Kato Ahaia will offer a service centre, production of parts for
Europe and a production line.

The company said it was in talks with the workers' union to agree on a
new payroll programme.

Intracom Defense Electronics, a member of Intracom Holdings, on Tuesday
announced the signing of a new contract with Raytheon in the production
programme of ESSM (Evolved SeaSparrow Missile).

The deal, worth 3.3 million US dollars, covers the production of
electronic subsystems of the guidance unit of the missile and will be
completed in September 2015. Intracom Defense has been participating in
the multinational ESSM programme since 1995.

E-commerce turnover is expected to reach 3.5 billion euros in Greece
this year, recording one of the highest growth rates in Europe, GRECA,
Greece's E-Commerce Union, said on Tuesday.

Nikos Goulis, president of GRECA, speaking during a news conference
said the Union plans a series of actions to support the sector, such as
an e-commerce week in the first week of December, Networking Days for
sector executives, other promotional and information actions to consumers,
while he noted that a code of conduct was currently under consultation
between the union's members.

"B2B commerce also has a significant importance to the national economy
and business activity," professor George Doukidis said.

Stephanos Komninos, secretary-general of Commerce announced "a national
plan on e-commerce in an effort to train and familiarize consumer with
electronic activities".

A Greek-Albanian economic and business forum will take place in Tirana
on November 13 hosted by the Greek embassy, the Office of Economic and
Commercial Affairs and the Association of Greek Enterprises, it was
announced on Tuesday.

The event, in its seventh consecutive year, is aimed at highlighting the
Greek presence in the banking sector and the Albanian economy in general,
promote opportunities for business investments and boost bilateral
economic and business cooperation.

The 7th Greek-Albanian Economic and Business Forum will focus on "The
Role of the Banks in the Post-crisis Era".

Bank of Greece (BoG) Governor Giorgos Provopoulos and Bank of Albania
Governor Ardian Fullani will be among those invited to address the event.

CPI said its turnover fell 18.6 pct in the fiscal year that ended on
June 30, 2013 to 14.261 million euros, from 17.524 million euros in the
previous year, hit by an economic recession in the country and a stricter
credit policy adopted by the company.

Income from product sales fell to 9.725 million euros, from 13.019 million
euros the previous year, while income from services rose slightly to
4.535 million from 4.505 million euros, accounting for 32 pct of the
company's income. Gross profit margin rose to 23.52 pct from 21.9 pct,
while EBITDA jumped to 514,000 euros, from 14,000 euros last year. Net
after tax results showed a loss of 205,000 euros, down from a loss of
817,000 euros last year.

Greek stocks resumed their upward trend in the Athens Stock Exchange
on Tuesday, after Monday's sharp decline, supported by buying interest
in selective blue chip stocks such as OTE, Athens Water, Viohalco and
Piraeus Bank. The composite index of the market rose 0.76 pct to end at
1,021.80 points, after rising as much as 1.16 pct during the day. Turnover
was a low 49.04 million euros.

The yield spread between the 10-year Greek and German benchmark bonds
shrank to 7.36 pct in the domestic electronic secondary bond market on
Tuesday, from 7.72 pct the previous day, with the Greek bond yielding 9.17
pct and the German Bund 1.81 pct. Turnover was an improved 18 million
euros, of which 16 million euros were buy orders and the remaining 2.0
million were sell orders.

In interbank markets, interest rates were largely unchanged. The 12-month
rate was 0.55 pct, the nine-month rate was 0.45 pct, the six-month rate
was 0.34 pct, the three-month rate was 0.225 pct and the one-month rate
was 0.129 pct.

The October contract on the FTSE/ASE Large Cap index was trading at
a premium of 0.25 pct in the Athens Derivatives Exchange on Tuesday,
with turnover remaining a low 10.732 million euros. Volume on the Big
Cap index totaled 4,137 contracts worth 7.168 million euros, with 51,557
open positions in the market.

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank:

U.S. dollar 1.375

Pound sterling 0.847

Danish kroner 7.570

Swedish kroner 8.762

Japanese yen 134.59

Swiss franc 1.243

Norwegian kroner 8.253

Canadian dollar 1.417

Australian dollar 1.460

General News

[44] Sirens to go off throughout Greece on Wednesday, as civil defence
exercise

Warning sirens will go off in tests throughout Greece on Wednesday,
as part of the week-long nationwide civil defence exercise "Parmenion
2013", it was announced on Tuesday.

At 11:00 am on Wednesday morning, the sirens will sound intermittently
and at differing sound levels for 60 seconds, until 11:05 am, when an
uninterrupted siren will sound for another 60 seconds.

"Parmenion 2013" is a civil defence and civilian protection planning
exercise in the event of an emergency. It is organised by the Ministry
of Defence and will be applied throughout Greece except for the Athens
FIR and on army bases.

The last stage of the exercise will take place in Thrace on Thursday and
Lesvos on Friday, and will be observed at both places by the ministry
civil and defence leadership.

The Days of Greek-Russian Friendship events, hosted on the northern
Aegean island of Lemnos at the initiative of the Russian embassy in
Greece, were attended by more than 100 Russians honouring the memory
of the Russian sailors who lost their lives during the Orlov Events,
named after Count Orlov, commander of the Russian Naval Forces of the
Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774).

During their pilgrimage to Lemnos, the visiting Russians officials and
citizens attended events in Myrina and Moundros.

Memorial events were held at the Russian cemetery on the island, while
Russian artists performed two music recitals at the port of Myrina and
in Moundros.

Economist Dimitrios Tsomocos, a university reader in Financial Economics
at Sa?d Business School and a Fellow in Management at St Edmund Hall,
University of Oxford, will speak on "International capital flows and
Greece's exit from the crisis" at the Centre of Planning and Economic
Research (KEPE) in Athens on October 7.

Tsomocos has consulted for many central banks and is co-creator of the
Goodhart-Tsomocos financial stability model.

His lecture is scheduled for 1:00 pm at 11 Amerikis Street, and is free
and open to the public.

A Greek barman won gold for the best cocktail in the 39th World Cocktail
Championship, sponsored by the International Bartenders' Association.

The winning entry, among 56 from throughout the world, was by Panagiotis
Govatsos, who named it "Skyfall II".

Speaking to ANA-MPA, Govatsos said Skyfall II "captures all of natures
aromas, from fruit and herbs to spices and fresh aromas." He explained
that his entry to the competition was chosen because it was "based on
aromas and tastes that bring Greece to mind; its main ingredient is the
hibiscus liqueur, which releases a fabulous aroma which, combined with
the vodka I used, gives a balanced in taste, aromas and colour."

Govatsos was born in California but his family moved to Monemvasia, the
historic town of southern Peloponnese, where he lives and works. He began
his career at 16 years of age as assistant to a waiter and then barman.

He was one of three representatives of the Greek Barmen's
Association. Besides his entry in the classic cocktail category,
Constantine Frantzis competed in Flairtending (freestyle), where he
came in 21st, and Panagiotis Pallis, who competed in the non-alcoholic
category. The competition took place in Prague in August.

Police arrested a 22-year-old man from Athens in the region of Sagiada,
near the Greek-Albanian border, at noon on Tuesday for carrying 154
kilos of hashish in a car. The drugs had been placed in 137 packets.

Police are seeking accomplices of the drug dealer, since the car he was
driving did not belong to him and neither had it been reported stolen. He
will be brought before a prosecutor.

A female British tourist died on Tuesday after falling, under unknown
circumstances, into a gorge in Rouva forest at Heraklio, on the island
of Crete.

The 55-year-old tourist had gone hiking with her daughter when she fell
into the gorge.

A rescue team including the Fire Brigade that rushed to the area confirmed
her death.

[50] Lightning interrupts power supply for an hour in extended Tripoli
area

A storm left half of Arcadia prefecture in the dark for an hour early
on Tuesday morning.

Lightning struck the area at 4:15 am and damaged a 150 KW conveyor
line, taking power down in the main city of Tripoli and in the areas of
Mantineia plateau and Cynouria. Public Power Corporation restored power
soon after.

Rainy weather and northerly winds are forecast in most parts of the
country on Wednesday. Winds 3-6 beaufort. Temperatures between 8C
and 25C. Possible local showers in Athens with northerly 3-5 beaufort
winds and temperatures between 14C and 24C. Same in Thessaloniki with
temperatures between 14C and 20C.